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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
South Dakota is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Sioux Falls leads at an index of 95 with rent at just $1,265/month — 33% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026. Belo…
South Dakota is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Sioux Falls leads at an index of 95 with rent at just $1,265/month — 33% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026. Below the radar, but not for long.
A closer look at Sioux Falls: the cost index of 95 breaks down to a Utilities index of 88 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 98 (weakest). Median rent is $1,265/month — 33% below the national median — while household income sits at $74,714, meaning locals spend about 20% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard. The definition of value.
The healthcare sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 98 (the top-10 average here) means healthcare costs are about 2% below the national median. Sioux Falls leads at 98. Note: a low healthcare index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
#1 Ranked: Sioux Falls — cost index 95, rent $1,265/mo, income $74,714
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
206,410 residents · South Dakota
A closer look at Sioux Falls: the cost index of 95 breaks down to a Utilities index of 88 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 98 (weakest). That alone makes it worth considering. Median rent is $1,265/month — 33% below the national median — while household income sits at $74,714, meaning locals spend about 20% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
| Rank | City | Healthcare Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux Falls | 98 | 95 | $1,265 | Details |
Cities are ranked by their healthcare cost sub-index within South Dakota. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Sioux Falls ranks #1 in South Dakota for this analysis with a cost index of 95 and median income of $74,714.
Sioux Falls, SD has the lowest healthcare index at 98, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Sioux Falls is $1,265/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $630 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Sioux Falls is $326,187, which is 4.4× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
South Dakota has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.1%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.08%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.